Out of Commission: Online Media Rooms Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake #1: Non-existent information
The web makes finding information a cinch. Got an appointment with a stranger? Google them. Want to know more about a company? Go online. Everyday research involves the web and it’s for everyone.
In my grandparents’ day, the newspaper ruled. Research consisted of trudging to the library, parking in a non-too-comfortable chair and staring at microfiche for hours. We don’t take time for that today. Instant gratification: 29,200 results for microfish in less than .15 seconds.
So what happens when someone goes to your web site? Do they get the real picture? Can they tell what’s happening in your firm? Does a story emerge? If a reporter wanted to write about your company, does your website provide compelling information? Could the reporter contact you for comment? (Is company contact info on everything?)
For the most part, entrepreneurs haven’t considered providing the media with information. Why? For years, the media was a sought-after connection and media gatekeepers did most of the work to position your company in front of them. Not anymore.
Today’s overworked, underpaid reporter is online and likely on deadline. If they find your site, they then decide to call or not. Trouble is, we seldom think about using the web to effectively toot our own horn. Isn’t that what social media is for? Do you make time for Facebook or Linkedin or Squidoo or any of the other hundreds of social media places that now exist? Dig a little deeper.
The web is your window to the world, your online storefront. Transparency is expected and required. You no longer must hire a public relations representative or a full service agency to pitch your story to the media. Traditional media – radio, television, newspapers and magazines – are no longer the only game in town. Now there are bloggers who talk about your products and services. Reporters blog and can be readily accessible in conversations on those blogs. Professionals command an audience in communities like expertclick.com, selfgrowth.com, or others.
It’s rare these days that a company doesn’t have a website. It’s common, however, for a site to be little more than a glorified brochure. Because your reputation is too important to be left to chance, you must allocate time and information to your online media room. Customers want to know about your product, its special uses, its successes and yes, its failures. Make it easy for them. Reporters, who reach those customers with a variety of media want your information or compelling story. Make it easy for them. The biggest mistake you make is mistake #1: non-existent information. Provide the pieces that set you apart from the average firm and put them in an Online Media Room.
What can you do now to begin?
The web makes finding information a cinch. Got an appointment with a stranger? Google them. Want to know more about a company? Go online. Everyday research involves the web and it’s for everyone.
In my grandparents’ day, the newspaper ruled. Research consisted of trudging to the library, parking in a non-too-comfortable chair and staring at microfiche for hours. We don’t take time for that today. Instant gratification: 29,200 results for microfish in less than .15 seconds.
So what happens when someone goes to your web site? Do they get the real picture? Can they tell what’s happening in your firm? Does a story emerge? If a reporter wanted to write about your company, does your website provide compelling information? Could the reporter contact you for comment? (Is company contact info on everything?)
For the most part, entrepreneurs haven’t considered providing the media with information. Why? For years, the media was a sought-after connection and media gatekeepers did most of the work to position your company in front of them. Not anymore.
Today’s overworked, underpaid reporter is online and likely on deadline. If they find your site, they then decide to call or not. Trouble is, we seldom think about using the web to effectively toot our own horn. Isn’t that what social media is for? Do you make time for Facebook or Linkedin or Squidoo or any of the other hundreds of social media places that now exist? Dig a little deeper.
The web is your window to the world, your online storefront. Transparency is expected and required. You no longer must hire a public relations representative or a full service agency to pitch your story to the media. Traditional media – radio, television, newspapers and magazines – are no longer the only game in town. Now there are bloggers who talk about your products and services. Reporters blog and can be readily accessible in conversations on those blogs. Professionals command an audience in communities like expertclick.com, selfgrowth.com, or others.
It’s rare these days that a company doesn’t have a website. It’s common, however, for a site to be little more than a glorified brochure. Because your reputation is too important to be left to chance, you must allocate time and information to your online media room. Customers want to know about your product, its special uses, its successes and yes, its failures. Make it easy for them. Reporters, who reach those customers with a variety of media want your information or compelling story. Make it easy for them. The biggest mistake you make is mistake #1: non-existent information. Provide the pieces that set you apart from the average firm and put them in an Online Media Room.
What can you do now to begin?
Labels: media communication, media kits, online media room
posted by the profitmeister at
10:43 AM
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